Sterilizing and preserving posts and poles.



N0. 894,619. v PATENTED JULY 28, 1908.

v H. P. POLSOM & H. JONES. STERILIZINGA'ND PBESERVING POSTS AND PO LES.

APPLICATION FILED 00112, 1907:

I I6 72"" ll I FiEJ- WITNESSES INVENTO/i QM fifzfizfi u I B) ATTORNEYS UNITED srlirns PATENT orrron.

HENRY PAGE FoLsoii AND HOWARD Jones, or OIRGLEVI'LLE, OHIO.

s'rnarrlrzme AND rnnssnvme Posrs AND roLEs.

Specification of Letters Patent.-

Patented July 28, 1908.

Application filed October 12, 1907. Serial No. 397,104.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HENRY PAGE FOL- SOM and HOWARD Jones, citizens of the United States, and residents of Circleville,

in the county of Pickawa and State of Ohio, have invented a new an Improved Method thoroughly disinfect the same to stop decay and kill any germs or parasites that may be at work upon the same, and, at. the same time, toprevent further access of germs, air, insects, or other cause of decay, infection, or deterioration.

Reference is to be had to the accompany ing drawings, forming a partof this specification, in which similar characters of ref 'erence indicate corresponding parts in all the figures, and in which,

Figure 1 is a View showing apole having the earth or other material surrounding the same excavated in reparation for the treatment of said pole; 'ig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showin one form of construction whereby the disinfecting liquid is held in engagement with' the pole and Fig. 3 is a view showing the pole at the completion of the operation.

As above stated, Your improved process is especially adapted for treating posts or poles set in the ground, butit is, of course, independent of the use to which the pole may be put. The processis applicable to telegraph or telephone poles, fence posts, or any other wooden pole or post having one end insertedin the ground. In carrying out our process in connection with a pole or 0st 1.0 having the lower end thereof inserted in the ground 11, we excavate the earth or other material from about the polefora distance of from six to twenty inches, dependent upon the extent of the infection or decay, and thus form an annular opening or cavity 12, as

, illustrated in Fig. '1. The pole at its infected point is then treated with a 1i uid disinfeotant, said liquid being retaine in en-.

gagement with the infected part for a material length of time. For holding the liquid disinfectantin engagement with the infected part, we may, if desired, insert a temporary sleeve 13 illustrated in Fig. 2 and of a-size somewhat larger than the pole The sleeve may be made of any suitable water-tight material and the lower end thereof is closed to prevent the escape of the solution. If desired, we may close the space between the sleeve at its bottom and the post or pole by a packing material 14 of asphaltum or other adhesive material impervious to moisture.

The annular chamber formed by the pole, the'sleeve 13 and the packing 14. is then filled with a liquid disinfectant, which may consist of an insecticide, germicide, orany other suitable solution for treating the pole, said solution depending/upon the nature of the infection or deterioration. The liquid may be applied at any suitable temperature from the boiling point down to the temperature of the atmosphere, depending upon the condition of the post, and is retained within the chamber for a sufficient length of time to permit of its entry into all of the interstices, racks and hollows of the post, and to be drawn by capillary attraction to a slight distance above and below the upper and lower liquid levels. After the liquid has had sullicient time to thorcughly saturate the and to disinfect the same, the remaining liquid isremoved and the temporary sleeve is withdrawn. After the removal of the liquid and the sleeve, the filled with a suitable self-hardening disinfecting' material, as, for instance, concrete mixed with well-known germicidal chemicals, and, this material, as illustrated at 16 in 3, not only takes the place of the earth excavated from about the pole, but also extends above the ground; that is, it slopes from the outer edge of the excavation upward to the pole to shed off water running down the pole.

In place of the concrete, any suitable mixture of Portland or othercement, together into engagement-with the pole, but also wood excavation is maintains a permanent disinfectant to neutralize the effect of any germs of decaywhich may have remained unaffected by the dis infecting solution or may find access to the infected point.

Instead of using the ten'iporary sleeve 13 for retaining the solution in place, we may, if desired, merely line the opening about the post with a thin layer of cement, pitch, or asphaltum, as illustrated at 17 in Fig. 3. This lining toth-e opening retains the solution in place while it is actiing upon the post, and also serves as a mold for the reception of i I r l l i 1 with 21 liquid d sinfectant, and later filling the opening formed by the excavating with a SLlf-llilltltflill'lg material.

2. The method of sterilizing poles already erected, consisting in excavating about the infected portion of the pole, forming a substantially water-tight chamber about said infected portion, filling said chamber with a liquid disinfectant, removing the excess of @disinfeetant after it'has remained in the the hardening material 16, when the latter is inserted.

In connection with the concrete 16, we

may, if desired employ metal reinforcements 5 to prevent the concrete'from cracking, or

breaking and to better retain it in position. As shown in Fig. 3, there are employed a plurality of metal reinforcing lars 18 extending in the same general direction as the post, and :1V plurality of reinforcing rings 19 encircling the post.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. The method of sterilizing poles erected in the ground, consisting in excavating about the infected portion of the pole, forming a substantially Water-tight chamber about said infected portion, filling said chamber 5 liquid disinfectant,

chamber a sufficientlength of time, and iii].- ing' the opening, formed by the excavating with a,self-hardening material containing a disinfectant.

3. 'lhe'method of sterilizing poles erected, consisting in forming a snbstmitially water-tight chamber about the. infected por lieu of the pole, filling said chamber with a I removing the excess of disinfectant all er a snllieient length of time, and encircling the infected portion with a sell hardenin material containing a disinfeetant.

In testimom whereof we have signed our nlread v names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY PAGE FULSUM. HOWARD JONES. itnesses SAMUEL WARD, Gnoncn W. i\l()RRXS()N. 

